Charles J. Barbero

Charles J. Barbero, Sr. was born at the family ranch on Duncan Creek on September 15, 1926. He passed away in Broadus, Montana on December 1, 2022, at the age of 96. His daughter, Patti was by his side when he went quietly of old age.

His parents, John and Mary (Chiesa) Barbero were original homesteaders in that part of Carter County. Charlie was the third of four children born on the ranch with Angie (1922), Francis (1924), Charlie (1926) and Lela (1928) completing the family. While life was a lot simpler then it was not without its hardships. Charlie's early years were spent on walking, horseback riding, buggies and horse drawn sleds.

Charlie had always talked about how hard it was to be raised on a farm/ranch that had no electricity, one well and an endless number of chores to do. In order to get to school on time (it took thirty minutes to walk one way, uphill) there were cows to milk, chickens to feed, eggs to gather. At the end of the school day it all had to be done again. This didn't seem like such a bad deal except most of it took place in those hard winters Eastern Montana is known for. Getting around to the neighbors was a project of its own. Using buggies and horses to travel several miles, summer or winter, made visiting a special occasion.

It was during the summer of 1936, at the age of 10, that Charlie began working as a sheepherder for his uncle. Learning to work at such a young age had its benefits but there wasn't a lot of time to have fun. It was during the early years of his life that he learned the value of hard work, the importance of keeping one's word and how important it was to make friends.

The years that he spent in high school were important to his development. He made many life-long friends during these formative years. By the time he was a senior in high school he owned his own car which made him quite popular. He was known to take car loads of girls to various dances and parties, including his sister Francis. The two of them could win about any dance contest they entered.

During Charlie's senior year (1944) he began working for the neighbor, lambing out 1600 head of sheep in the afternoon and evening. After he graduated, he signed up for the military. The war was in the late stages but still needed soldiers as the push was on to defeat Japan. He ended up in Texas for basic training and not being 18 yet was sent to another base in Texas for Ranger Training and Paratrooper Training. Once he turned 18 he got on a troop ship with 5700 other guys and they headed for the Northern Philippines. For the next few months the soldiers cleared the island of enemy tunnels, munitions and equipment. This was all done while preparing to invade Japan in the coming months. The war came to an end with the second atomic bomb so Charlie and the rest of the soldiers became the occupying force assigned to Japan. He was ordered to start a motor pool for the division he was in and this is what he did for the rest of his military assignment.

After Charlie was discharged from the military in 1946 he made his home on some land he bought east of Boyes. In the fall of 1947 Charlie married his high school girlfriend (Carole Irion) and they worked together to make a home for themselves. Carole taught school at Boyes and Charlie worked for Price Propane, delivering, selling and doing service work on appliances throughout Powder River and Carter Counties. The following six years were full of adventures. Charlie worked for the highway department both full-time and part-time making for some interesting stories of how people can get themselves into trouble on remote highways. The couple moved to Coalwood to run the store and post office in 1954 for one of the grandparents. In 1956 he became the owner of his own farm/ranch.

Charlie and Carole started a family in 1950. Oldest son Joe was born, followed by John

three years later and Patti a year after that. All three children attended Duncan Creek Elementary. When Joe started high school things changed a lot. Carole and the kids moved to town during the school year so Charlie had to make due on the ranch by himself. He had hinted a time or two that maybe the peace and quiet weren't so bad. He also learned to cook for himself and to this day had a fondness for sandwiches and cookies. In 1972 Charlie took over the mail route from Broadus to Alzada and it stayed in the family until 2021.

Charlie was very involved with the VFW of Broadus. Many of the WWII veterans had returned home and there was a need to create a place to honor all those who didn't come back from the war. The list of those veterans is very long with only a few of them still alive and Charlie was one of the last of that generation. He held just about every position in the local VFW and was the post commander for many years. He was also joined in this adventure by Carole, who in her own right, rose to be State President of the VFW Ladies Auxiliary. The couple traveled all over the United States, attending many National Conferences.

Charlie had been living at his home on the ranch. His daughter, Patti, became his caregiver and was there for him until he passed away.

Charlie was preceded in death by his parents John and Mary, his wife, Carole, sisters Angie Bogner and Francis Hill. He is survived by his sister Lela Bone, sons Joe/Susie and John/Diana and daughter Patti/Art Brix. He also leaves behind seven grandchildren, Carlo/Kylee, Vincent, Dori/Casey, Jona/Wade, Dave/Hayle, Carol and Craig/Molly. Great grandchildren: Marianna, Adria, Cori, Codi/RJ, Knox, Charli, Lainee, Jess, Graci, Quinn, Mallory, Jerry/Dakota, Colter, and Reese. Great-great grandchild: Charles. Special recognition to the Duane Richards family whom Charlie adopted as his own. There are many nieces and nephews and extended family to numerous to mention. Please forgive us if we didn't mention everyone.

Visitation will be held on December 9, 2022 from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Stevenson & Son's Funeral Home in Broadus, MT. A funeral service will be held on December 10, 2022 at Faith Bible Church, Broadus, Montana, at 1:00 p.m. with interment to follow at the Valley View Cemetery in Broadus, MT. A luncheon will follow at Faith Bible Church. If you wish to honor Charlie with a donation please consider the VFW in Broadus, as per his wishes. Condolences can be made to the family by visiting stevensonandsons.com.